Bombardier who was found dead had been in fight with junior soldier, inquest hears

A Royal Horse Artillery NCO took her own life hours after getting into a fight with a junior colleague because she feared it would cost her a promotion, an inquest into her death has heard.

Bombardier Nadine Askew, 31, who served in 1st Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery – an armoured artillery regiment – was found dead in her room at Larkhill Garrison in Wiltshire on 22 July 2021.

Wiltshire and Swindon Coroner's Court heard Bdr Askew had got into a dispute with a fellow soldier, a gunner – the Royal Artillery equivalent of a private – during a party at an accommodation block the evening before.

Friend had "seen red"

Lucy Clark, a fellow bombardier – the Royal Artillery equivalent of corporal – agreed her friend had "seen red" and was worried the fight would cost her a forthcoming promotion to sergeant.

She told the inquest: "She knew that getting into a fight and essentially hitting a gunner was going to have repercussions on her career.

"A lot of the time the repercussion for fighting is a demotion and she wasn't wearing sergeant yet, so the fear was a demotion in general, but she would have potentially been busted back down to lance bombardier."

The inquest heard several soldiers, including Bdr Askew, had been out socialising at a nearby pub and had returned to the garrison where a party took place.

Bdr Clark said the fight had broken out after the gunner approached Bdr Askew to apologise for something he had done earlier in the day.

She said: "She didn't want to hear it, but he kept persisting. She jumped up from the bench and went for him effectively, and a fight broke out between the two.

"She shot up and went to go and grab him, she punched him, and then she got restrained and someone dragged her off, and someone dragged him away.

"She managed to head-butt him before he was dragged away fully out of there. There was a lot of shouting."

Previous incidents of self-harm

The witness said she had had no concerns about Bdr Askew self-harming, however the inquest heard there had been previous incidents of self-harm.

Bdr Askew, who had done tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, had been placed on the vulnerability risk management register (VRM) and received mental health support.

When she was asked about her reaction to the death of her friend, Bdr Clark replied: "It was one of the biggest shocks of my life."

The inquest heard Bdr Askew's cause of death was given as hanging.

Coroner's conclusion

In an update to the inquiry, Assistant Coroner Ian Singleton said in his findings, it "would not be safe to conclude" that Bdr Askew should have been placed on the VRM following the altercation.

"It would be speculation to say what difference it would have made if Nadine had been on the VRM or if measures had been put in place," the assistant coroner said.

"No-one had concerns how Nadine presented after the incident on the evening of 21 to 22 July 2021," he said, adding that he was satisfied that "more likely than not, she intended to take her own life". 

He continued: "I find this was against the background of being involved in an altercation earlier that evening that Nadine would have known would, in all probability, have an adverse effect on the promotion that she was so keen to achieve. I find that her actions were a response to the realisation of that fact.

"I do not find that the earlier mental health issues she had were a factor, given the evidence from a psychiatrist about the improvements she had made, and there was nothing in how she presented over the past few months that raised a concern."

The assistant coroner said there was no evidence heard during the inquest which contradicted the evidence of medical experts who described the mental health care she received as of a "good standard".

He added: "The fact that Nadine took her own life following the altercation does not mean it was a failure in the care previously provided."

'She touched so many people's lives'

Speaking after the inquest, Bdr Askew's mother, Amanda, said: "It's impossible to put into words how devastating it is to hear from multiple second-hand sources that your child was battling mental health struggles that you were unaware of.

"It's been devastating to sit through all that evidence and be confronted with that fact.

"We endured this process as we hoped that by shining a light on the circumstances leading up to her death, we might spare other Army families from enduring the same irreparable pain.

"Nadine was a kind, caring woman with an infectious smile," she said, adding that after she died, the family received more than 300 cards from people all over the world and 28 condolence bouquets.

"We also learnt that some of her friends have named their children after her," she said. "It is clear she touched so many people's lives, which brings us some comfort."

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